The Agrarian Kitchen is a literal farm-to-table cooking school in rural Tasmania, 45 minutes northwest of Hobart. Pretty much everything that makes it into the kitchen here comes from the surrounding farm: chickens, ducks, hogs, fruits, vegetables…
OC Review: Ootoro Sushi, Irvine
The chef reaches over the sushi counter and places a bowl in front of each of us. The bowls are filled with ice, topped with the live shrimp he has just dismantled. The shrimp are huge, like mutants. Their dismembered heads and bodies sit side by side, a couple of inches apart but still very much alive.
Photo of the week: Shinjuku, Tokyo
Tokyo is one of the most vibrant cities on earth. It is also filled with surprising moments of zen, like this little side street in the heart of Shinjuku…
Trout fishing — and the yearning for peace — in Kashmir
Death returned to Kashmir this month. A fresh wave of violence erupted after a teenage rebel — a local celebrity on social media — was killed in a shootout with police. More than 70 people have died in clashes in August alone. Five thousand more have been injured, according to various news reports. It is an ominous …
Review: Acre, farm-to-table in San Jose del Cabo
Fat drips from a fifty-pound hog, splashing onto the fire. Sparks flicker into the hot Mexican air. The pig has been roasting over the mesquite embers since sunrise. The temperature outside is already sweltering, made even hotter by the blistering rotisserie, which is cranked by hand, inch-by-inch, throughout the day. By 5 p.m., as the …
Quick Look: Mar Adentro, San Jose del Cabo, Mexico
There’s a stunningly beautiful new hotel opening in Los Cabos. It’s called Mar Adentro, and it is currently in its soft-opening phase. The resort is designed (and owned) by Miguel Angel Aragones, one of Mexico’s most incredible architects. Here’s a quick look around. Exterior views: Standard king room: Restaurants and public spaces: The beach: Evening …
What to eat (or not) at the Orange County Fair
My first strategy at the OC Fair was to follow the smoke. Where there’s smoke, there will also be good food. Or so it usually goes. I spotted the beef tri-tips smoldering on a grill. They looked awesome. They looked like real Santa Maria barbecue. I immediately got in line and ordered the tri-tip sandwich. It was gross…
Best Thing I Ate This Week: Salade Nicoise
A lot has changed at the St. Regis Monarch Beach lately. For starters, it’s now just the Monarch Beach Resort, with a brand new, very beachy look throughout. The restaurant formerly known as Motif is now called Aveo, and that’s where I recently enjoyed one of the finest Nicoise salads I can recall.
O.C. Review: Sushi Hana re
The hostess sees me peeking through the window, so she opens the front door. “May I help you?” “Two for dinner?” I ask. I can see that almost every seat in the restaurant is already taken. “Just a moment,” she says. She walks across the very small room to whisper something to the chef. He …
Best thing I ate this week: kohada from a master
Gizzard shad can be an acquired taste. But it also depends greatly on the skill of the chef. That’s why it is often said that sushi chefs judge each other by their kohada, or gizzard shad…
This just in: O.C. Press Club Awards!
It was another great year at the O.C. Press Club Awards. I am honored to be named best restaurant critic again, sweeping both first and second place in that category, and more…
Photo of the week: Mumbai
The Gateway of India is one of Mumbai’s most iconic landmarks, and I had the most incredible view of the arch from the balcony of my room at the legendary Taj Mahal Palace Hotel…
Best thing I ate this week: bun bo Hue
When eating at Ngu Binh restaurant in Westminster, the question isn’t what to order but rather, simply, “Large or small?”
OC Review: Old Crow Smokehouse, Huntington Beach
Old Crow is far and away the best restaurant to open thus far at Pacific City. The corporate chef is Tony Scruggs, a self-taught cook who competed on television’s “MasterChef” a few years back. Scruggs’ barbecue is probably best described as Chicago-style with influences ranging from Tennessee to Arkansas.
Photo of the Week: San Jose del Cabo, Mexico
Ah, Los Cabos. How I’ve missed you (I shot this photo in 2011), but I will see you again very soon. I just booked my flight. I look forward to photographing the spectacular new Mar Adentro hotel from famed architect Miguel Ángel Aragonés, plus…
Quick Look: Pangkor Laut, Malaysia
There is no airport on the island of Pangkor Laut. There is merely a helipad and a dock. Getting there is half the fun. Here’s a quick look at this luxury private island resort off the coast of Malaysia. The resort’s helicopter met me at the Kuala Lumpur airport. I returned to the mainland by the resort’s private yacht.
